Ipswich-built mowers help prepare Brazilian pitches for World Cup

Mowers built in Ipswich are being used to make Brazil's World Cup stadiums pitch perfect.

The Mastiff in action in the Maracana stadium, Rio de Janiero

The Ransomes Mastiff walk-behind mowers are being used to maintain stadium pitches and training facilities at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, alongside Jacobsen Tri-King ride-on triples manufactured in Charlotte, USA.

As the world watches to see how Brazil, currently being rocked by strikes and protests by those who disagree with Government spending on the World Cup, will fare during the tournament and England fans hope once more that the team can return to the glory of 1966, the mower company is confident that grass cutting will at least be stress free.

The most prestigious venue at the tournament, the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janiero, which will host the final of the competition, is being mown with both types of mower, although the Ransomes Mastiff will be used for match day preparation.

The other venues using Ransomes Jacobsen equipment are Arena de Baixada in Curitiba, Arena de Sao Paulo, which hosts England’s second Group D game against Uruguay on June 19, Arena Pernambuco in Recife and Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, the venue for England’s final Group D match against Costa Rica.

Jacobsen Tri-King mowers are also being used at several training venues including the Australian training camp at Vitoria in Espirito Santo, Portugal’s training centre at Campinas at Sao Paulo and Mexico, who are using the training facilities of Santos, again in Sao Paulo.

Ransomes Jacobsen managing director Alan Prickett said: "The FIFA World Cup is the biggest single-event sporting competition in the world and once again, mowers manufactured by our businesses in the UK and USA are being used at this global sporting event.

"The final at the Maracana on July 13 will attract a television audience in excess of 300 million people around the globe, all watching the game on a playing surface prepared by mowers made in Ipswich. I think everyone connected with the business can take pride in that."

Ransomes Jacobsen is part of global multi-industry company Textron Inc.

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